Lily groaned, and threw her arm around John's legs as she rolled over. He sat there, staring off at the wall. Glancing down at her, he moved her arm and stood up, shaking his head, and running his hand thru his hair as he walked out of the room.

She yawned, stretching, and opened her eyes to find herself alone in her bed. Lifting her head, she looked around. There was no trace of John anywhere in her room. Knitting her eyebrows together, she stood, running her hands thru her hair, making it look a little nicer, as she headed to the door. Pausing, she looked down, making sure she was dressed, and walked out of the room. Lily moved down the hall, and slowly opened the door to John's room. She peeked inside carefully, but, instead of seeing John on the bed, she saw a guy with his back to her, rummaging thru the dresser against the wall. A girl she didn't know laid in John's bed, propped up on one elbow, and moving her finger in little designs on the blanket.

"Come on, J, come back to bed…" Lily bit her lip, slowly backing out of the room, and shook her head as she closed the door. Looking at the floor, she turned, sighing, and headed out the door. John walked out of the kitchen, yawning, and stumbled when he saw her walking slowly out the front door.

"Lil?" he asked, moving towards her. She turned around.

"Where were you?"

"Kitchen. Just finished eating a little breakfast." She nodded, and pushed open the front door. "Where're you goin?" he asked.

"Outside…John? What happened to you this morning? I woke up and you were gone…" He shrugged, yawning again.

"Thought it might be better if I went to my own room…incase Xavier came in or something."

"Then who was in your room when I went to find you?" He thought for a second, sliding his arm around her waist. She didn't move her arms around him.

"Oh, that was Jake…he had a girl, and I didn't wanna be in there when they were being…intimate, so I left the room."

"Honest?"

"Of course…Lily, I don't want anyone else but you…so don't think that I'm sleeping with random people," he said, leaning over and kissing her cheek. She hesitated, but put her arm around his shoulder. "Besides, I caught sight of that chick's face as I was leaving my room…I'd rather shoot myself than make love to her…" Lily giggled, and looked up at the sky. The sun was just beginning to rise, so it was still mostly dark outside. She paused, and planted her feet, pushing her hands against her left hip as she turned herself a bit to crack her back.

"So, John?"

"Yeah?" he asked, looking over at her.

"When you said you were leaving for Nevada…how far did you get before you decided to come back?"

"The bus station. Logan talked to me a little before I headed there, and made me feel guilty. I wasn't trying to feel guilty about leaving but…He made me…I think he explained something to me, but I can't remember what…and I tried to get it outta my head at the station, but I turned around and came right back…Because it clicked…If I left you here, I'd never see you again…" She smiled, and slipped her hand into his.

"Let's go for a walk, John…"

"Where?"

"That lake you took me to…it was so beautiful out there…" He smiled, and bent his head, pushing his lips against hers.

"Kay…Let's go…" Glancing over his shoulder, John pulled her thru the gate and into the trees, towards the lake.

By the time the sun was completely up over the horizon, and John was ready to go back, Lily had fallen asleep against the tree. Shaking his head and chuckling lightly to himself, John lifted her off the ground, and headed back to the school. As he closed the gate, Bobby jogged up.

"Where did you two go? Xavier's been looking all over for you," he said.

"Lily wanted to go to the lake…she fell asleep, so I brought her back…Why's he looking for us?"

"Not both of you, just you, man…and I don't really know…You'd have to ask him. Here, gimme Lily, and I'll go lay her down so you can go talk to Xavier…" After a slight hesitation, John handed Lily to Bobby, and headed into the school, calling a "Thanks" over his shoulder. As the doors shut, Bobby turned, smirking, and his eyes flashed yellow. Only a second later, Mystique stood there, with Lily over her shoulder. Casting a look back at the school, she rushed from the gate.

John knocked, and opened Xavier's door.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Xavier lifted his eyes from the paper on his desk.

"What? No, I didn't…"

"But…Bobby just told me…"

"Bobby is right here," he said, motioning in front of him. John moved his eyes, and noticed Bobby turned in his chair to see him.

"What did I just tell you?" he asked, unsure.

"No, wait…Now I just saw you outside…You said Xavier wanted to see me, and then you took Lily to lay…her…down…Well…if it wasn't you, then…" Xavier's eyes widened.

"Mystique…" Bobby was up and following John out of the school, Xavier rolling behind them. John ran to the gate, shoving it open.

"Lily!" he screamed, looking around. No answer except for the squawking of birds in the trees. "Lily!" he screamed again.

She jerked a little on Mystique's shoulder, but didn't wake. Mystique shook her head, and laid her on the ground, between two giant oak trees.

"She's here, now. And I leave now, because I did what you wanted me to do…" Without waiting for an answer, Mystique left, shaking her head. After a moment, a man in a black jacket and jeans came thru the trees, smirking, and kneeled beside the still sleeping Lily.

"Wake, my darling. Wake up…" Lily groaned, and rolled over, but opened her eyes.

"Wh…where am I?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"Your in the woods…with me…" She looked over, and up into the face of a man she'd never seen. He had very, very little hair on his head ,but a light mustache beneath his nose. He looked a lot like William Stryker, but he'd been killed at Alkali Lake, three years earlier.

"Who are you?"

"Matthew Stryker. I'm surprised you don't know me…"

"Matthew?" she asked, struggling to sit up.

"Yes, Matthew. William Stryker's normal son," he said, pushing her back down.

"Why…what…what are you doin' here…and…where's John?"

"John? You mean Pyro?" She nodded. "He's not here. He's not who I wanted. You knew who my father was, you knew what he accomplished with the mutant problem, how he tried to fix it…" Lily scrambled backwards, sitting up against a tree.

"Accomplished? Ha! You mean how he made the mutant 'problem' worse, don't you?" Matthew's hand shot out, striking her in the face. She moved, surprised, and touched her cheek as it started to turn red.

"Don't talk bad about the man who tried to get rid of the main problem in our country, brat."

John turned to Bobby and Xavier.

"Why would Mystique take Lily?"

"I don't know…"

"Because I had no choice," Mystique answered, approaching them. John spun around.

"What do you mean you had no choice?"

"I was being commanded by a man who was much stronger and much worse and much more powerful than his father was…"

"Who?"

"Matthew Stryker…William's normal son. He wanted Lily to give him all the information about his father, so he could rebuild and finish what he'd started…" she explained. "But you can still save her…he isn't planning on killing her until he gets all the information he can…" John's eyes widened.

"What?" She nodded.

"Where is Matthew taking her?" Xavier asked. Mystique thought for a second.

"To his home…in Boston…" Bobby hesitated, but nodded.

"We have to go…We can't just leave her up there…" John looked to him, then Xavier.

"Professor?"

"Let's get Logan and Storm…" he said, turning, and heading inside. The two boys and Mystique followed him, Mystique standing behind John and Bobby. John dug his hands as deep into his pockets as possible. His eyebrows were knitted together, and all he could think about was what Matthew was doing to Lily Simon, the girl who'd made him see a world he'd never known existed. A world without pain, without fear, and hatred, but instead with love, with friends, with people to speak to when everything seemed to be crashing down around you. The girl who'd been right by his side for nearly six years, and the only girl who knew what was wrong when he wouldn't talk. Biting the inside of his lip really hard, he pushed the front doors open and followed Bobby inside.